First thing’s first: HAPPY BARBENHEIMER DAY! When this review is published I’ll have already seen Oppenheimer and be eagerly awaiting the start of Barbie. I’m buzzing. The world is buzzing, to be fair. But enough about that, because I have to say, The Woman King is one of the best films I’ve seen all year.
Based on a real tribe known as the Agojie – an all-female unit of warriors in the 1800s – The Woman King follows young Nawi (Thuso Mbedu), who has been banished to train with the women by her adopted father. Led by General Nanisca (Viola Davis), she joins the next generation of Agojie recruits, only to find that she wants nothing more than to be accepted into their ranks. After some time however, she discovers that she has more connections to the soldiers than she ever anticipated.
Clearly there was quite a bit of controversy surrounding The Woman King upon release, but I can’t help but feel that it has been sorely underrated as a piece of filmmaking.
Exceedingly talented writer and director Gina Prince-Blythewood returns to top form in order to bring us a rare, female-led action blockbuster with roots in African history. Whilst the aforementioned controversy surrounding the film accuses the studio of omitting parts that paint the Kingdom of Dahomey in a poor light, one could argue that the film never claimed to be “based on a true story”. I, for one, thought it was a work of fiction, and in all fairness, The Woman King never claimed to be a historical account, with the kingdom’s attitudes towards slavery actually being mentioned and pondered over several times, so I can’t help but feel that the film was judged unfairly.
When looking at the film purely from a filmmaking point of view, you can’t deny the brilliance of what was achieved here. Never before have I seen such magnificent action sequences attached to a story of strong female characters – particular strong black female characters – alongside such a heartfelt, emotional narrative. Despite the film’s length, the writing was so concise and interesting that I enjoyed every single second of it. Sure, it may not be wholly accurate in terms of the real Agojie and their motives, but it was so refreshing to watch.
Now we come to some absolutely necessary praise for this movie’s cast, which so clearly starts with the brilliant Viola Davis. I can’t even say that’s bias, (what with her being my favourite actress working today) as her performance here is undeniably outstanding. Lashana Lynch supports, giving her best performance to date, and Thuso Mbedu makes a feature film debut that puts her in good stead to become a huge Hollywood star. Although the brilliant Lupita Nyong’o dropped out early on, the film clearly overcame anything it may have lost with her exit. Wonderful casting indeed.
Unfortunately, The Woman King was plagued by so much negative debate that it seems as though it may be forgotten far too quickly. For me though, I was captivated from start to finish, and it’s a shame that so many have overlooked some excellent directorial craftsmanship even if their concerns about the real past are warranted.
The Woman King is currently available to stream on Sky Cinema and Now TV in the UK.
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Overall Enjoyability Rating: ½
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